Page 34 of Alpha’s Divine Claim

She nods once and goes back to her plate.

Somebody brings a guitar out, tunes it for a while, then starts something slow. Two or three voices come in on it. More come after them, everybody here knows this one. People set their plates down in the dirt. Somebody hauls the two kids off the woodpile and puts them on a lap. A woman leans into her mate, he takes her weight without looking at her. This is the part I’ve never stayed for. I do the work then I’m gone before the fire gets to it. I keep my hands on my knees, my eyes on the fire. The heat is on my left side and the cool air is on my right. The song goes around twice. I don’t know the words, I keep hearing the wind off that rock up north. Mateo comes around and sits down on the end of my log.

“I gave you a hard time when you first came around here,” he says. “That was me being an ass about it.”

“It’s done.”

He takes that. “How bad is it up there?”

“Cold country. Hard walking.”

“That’s it?” He asks

“That’s it.”

He gives it a second. I leave it there. He nods and goes back to his own seat.

Out past the firelight Ansel stands where the yard ends, back to us. He’s watching the trees. I didn’t hear him get up off the log to go out there. Across the fire Evren says something to Evie. She laughs at him, when he laughs back a thin line of smoke comes out of his mouth. He doesn’t notice it and nobody else is looking. I’ve got no idea what makes smoke come out of a man like that. I leave it alone. Nyxiana comes around the fire and sits down on the log next to me. Close up, the fire has put color back in her face. Her hair is loose and there’s a pine needle caught in it from the walk down through the trees.

“You haven’t moved in an hour,” she says.

“No.”

“That’s new,” she says.

I let that go by. “When are you feeding?” I ask.

“Tomorrow.”

“Before Doria.”

“I said tomorrow.”

“Say the time,” I tell her and she looks at me for a second before answering “Early. First light.”

“Good.”

She doesn’t get up, doesn’t move down the log either. “Now you,” she says.

“What about me?”

“You’re still up there.”

I don’t answer that. “That’s not an answer either,” she says.

“No,” I say. She stops there. “I’m not going to make you talk about it tonight,” she says. “Tomorrow I will.”

“I know you will,” I reply. She stays where she is. Whoever has the guitar starts another one. Nobody comes over to us. The fire burns down some. I’m still on the log.

Chapter 22

Nyxiana

I’m out in the yard before the sun clears the ridge. My hands aren’t steady, haven’t been since we got back. Valen is standing at the corner of the nearest cabin where he can see the whole yard. He’s been there since I came out. He isn’t going anywhere until he watches me leave.

He crosses the yard to me. “I’m going now,” I say.

“Is it worse than usual?”